CLINTON — Clinton High School junior Joshua Wright has spent the past two summers working as an intern at the Mississippi Youth Media Project.
As part of this internship, he and other project members created the media package, “From Woolworth’s Sit Ins to #BlackLivesMatter: Protesting for Life, Freedom and Dignity.” The film will be featured at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 12 at Malco Grandview Cinema in Madison as part of the 2018 Crossroads Film Festival.
“The project is about how sit-ins in downtown Jackson tie in with the Black Lives Movement today,” Joshua said.
Students in the Mississippi Youth Media Project worked as a full production team on a news package, and interviewed several people for the film and other media.
“We covered different people who were at the Woolworth’s sit-in as well as historians,” Joshua said. “I learned a lot about the struggle for civil rights, the organization efforts, the non-violent protests and the strength they had to endure.”
Robert Chapman, teacher and media club sponsor at Clinton High School, said he encourages students to get involved in other media projects outside of school.
“It’s like with sports,” he said. “When kids play at the club level before they get to junior high and high school, they’re better prepared for the sport. It’s the same thing here. Kids who work with other media projects outside of school are better prepared for what we do at Clinton High School, and they find an outlet in the media club.”
Chapman said Joshua has been a valuable asset to the club, managing the live streaming of football games and creating other videos.
“He understands storytelling,” Chapman said. “He knows how to get the story across, whether it’s interviewing a football player or telling the story of the Woolworth’s sit-in. He knows how to do it.”
Chapman added that Joshua is a leader among his peers and helps other students.
For more information about the Crossroads Film Festival or to purchase tickets, click here: http://www.crossroadsfilmfestival.com/schedule/